Unions' plea over school closures

UNION leaders have warned against `knee-jerk decisions' on axeing schools after education minister David Miliband revealed there were surplus places at 117 schools across Greater Manchester. He urged education authorities to consider closures or mergers.

UNION leaders have warned against `knee-jerk decisions' on axeing schools after the government revealed there were surplus places at 117 schools across Greater Manchester.

Schools minister David Miliband urged education authorities to consider closures or mergers when he disclosed the figures in the Commons yesterday.

But Richard Palfreman, regional official for the NUT, told the M.E.N: "We don't need knee-jerk reactions and school closures; we need analysis of the situation and a proper look at population trends.

"There are requirements on a school even if only 75 per cent of places are filled. They still have a duty of care to the children at the school, the community and the parents."

Joe Langley, executive member of the NASUWT for Greater Manchester, said: "If schools had more flexibility with their finances, the problems would be reduced."

Failing

According to the Department for Education and Skills, there are 104 primary schools and 13 secondary schools in Greater Manchester where one in four desks stand empty because there aren't enough pupils on the register. In Manchester, 14 primary schools and two secondary schools have a surplus of more than 25 per cent.

As well as having a high number of empty desks, St Thomas Aquinas RC High School, in Chorlton, has been placed in special measures by OFSTED, which is the action taken to support failing schools.

According to Mr Miliband's criteria, that would make it one of the schools considered for closure, amalgamation or developing into an extended school.

But head teacher John O'Callaghan says the massive changes proposed by Mr Miliband should only be considered when efforts to turn a school around have already failed. He says it would be premature to talk about making such changes to St Thomas Aquinas.

Manchester and Salford have the highest proportion of empty primary places across Greater Manchester, with 14 per cent empty. And in the secondary sector the highest proportion of empty places was in Salford, at 15 per cent.